The Mighty Quills

The Mighty Quills. . , The Unknown Locomotive, Called the “unkown” locomotive by some rail enthusiasts, few people now recognize the heavyweight of the Milwaukee’s Rocky Mountain Division, the Baldwin-Westinghouse EP-3., Between 1919 and 1955, these big motors pulled passenger trains over the rugged Rocky, Belt and Bitterroot Mountain Ranges between Harlowton, Montana and Avery, Idaho., The Milwaukee purchased ten EP-3’s, each weighing 283 tons, standing 17 feet high, 88 feet 7 inches long and rating 4,200 horsepower. They were called “Quills” because their axles were enclosed in a hollow tube, or quill., The Quill’s long rigid mainframe proved to be a poor design. It took curves badly, was derailment prone and maintenance intensive. With the purchase of the “Little Joes” in the early 1950’s the Quills were quickly scrapped., “It’s a shame that it is lost forever and anyone who didn’t get to ride it will never have a chance again. I would sit at the window for hours watching the Westinghouse each time it swung into a curve on my side…The ride behind a Westinghouse was exceptionally smooth both uphill and down… It was no wonder that the big motors were favored and respected by employees who worked with them.” H.H. “Bill” Wilkerson, Retired Milwaukee Railroad Engineer., (sidebar) , Famous Engineer, President Warren G. Harding behind the controls of Westinghouse 10305, which he operated between Sappington, Montana and Avery, Idaho on July 2nd 1923., His cross-country trip took him to Alaska where he became ill. President Harding passed away in San Francisco one month to the day after this photograph was taken.